The nuclear power plant planned for Hinkley Point, Somerset took a giant leap towards happening yesterday, with a deal between the French and Chinese state-owned energy companies finalised and construction set to start in the coming weeks.

In the latest twist in the tale, EDF’s Flamanville nuclear reactor (which is the same type as Hinkley will be) announced that morning its opening will be delayed by three years.

At the moment there is no EPR nuclear reactor running anywhere in the world.

The FT reports that China views Hinkley as just the beginning, with UK nuclear plants at Sizewell and Bradwell next on the list, and international ambitions beyond that.

According to Bloomberg, the Hinkley deal is a big deal to China’s nuclear reactor export industry, the marquee signing following deals agreed with Argentina and Kenya in the last year.

An in-depth piece by The Guardian looks at the reaction of locals to the prospect of Hinkley, with some pleased by the promise of jobs and others protesting it and demanding renewables projects like wind and solar.

Analysis by Bloomberg New Energy Finance said the UK could get six times the generation capacity if it instead invested the Hinkley money in onshore wind turbines, though in all fairness there’s not really enough land.

But the point is that the deal is a pretty poor from a financial perspective, with the Solar Trade Association saying the other day that solar would need half the money to provide the same power capacity as Hinkley.

UK: Lords and Commons battle over green subsidies

The House of Lords last night rejected Tory plans to end onshore wind energy subsidies, and the government responded by accusing it of violating the Salisbury convention which holds that it will not oppose legislation proposed in party manifestos, reports The Telegraph.